Snow, bitter cold coming for Birmingham

Charles Williams, a Birmingham city employee, and Michael Harter, training and exercise officer for the Jefferson County Emergency Management Agency, complete a count of more than 200 cots placed at Boutwell Auditorium for people who need a place to escape the bitter cold. (Birmingham News, Hal Yeager)Birmingham will turn into a freezer later this week as bitter cold air chases the heels of a 1-inch snowfall forecast for Thursday.

"On Friday and Saturday nights, more than likely, we'll have wind chills below zero degrees," said National Weather Service meteorologist Mary Keiser. And the high temperatures on Friday and Saturday may not climb above freezing.

The jet stream has plunged south over the eastern United States, helping usher a high-pressure dome of Arctic air farther south.

View full sizeThis cold snap -- which can be dangerous for the homeless, for elderly people or young children who don't have adequate heat, and for outdoor pets -- may rival Birmingham's longest recorded cold spell of 11 consecutive days with lows below 25 degrees in January 1940.

"We will be flirting with breaking that record," said Weather Service meteorologist Scott Unger.

If the latest forecast through Monday is correct, Birmingham will have at least 10 days with lows below 25 degrees -- a span that began Saturday, Sunday, Monday and Tuesday with lows of 21, 20, 19 and 14 degrees, respectively.

Watching and waiting

Normally a cold snap in Birmingham is broken when a storm system like the one forecast for Thursday brings moisture into the area, because the moisture helps trap heat, Unger said. But Thursday's snow will have intensely cold Canadian air right behind it, which may mean the snow stays for two or three days.

Alabama Power will have crews on alert but doesn't expect big problems with power outages unless the forecast changes from snow to sleet, spokesman Michael Sznajderman said.

"Right now, we're not foreseeing any major issues for us," he said. "Light snow is not a major problem for us."

Alabama State Troopers are warning motorists that the wintry weather could lead to icy roads and hazardous driving conditions throughout the state. Drivers should check local news for information on weather conditions and travel advisories, and they should call trooper posts to report crashes and other roadside emergencies, said Trooper Chad Joiner.

The toll-free number to report roadway emergencies to the nearest state trooper post by mobile phone is *HP (*47).

For information on road closings, go to the Alabama Department of Transportation's Web site at www.dot.alabama.gov.

ALDOT crews are watching the weather this week, said spokesman Tony Harris. Birmingham ALDOT officials said the timing of Thursday's snow will determine when they send out personnel and equipment, and when they begin to spread liquid calcium magnesium acetate on bridges.

CMA melts snow and prevents freezing. It is also mixed with small stones to cover icy patches in the road, said Charles Malone, ALDOT's head of maintenance for Jefferson, Shelby, Blount, Walker and St. Clair counties.

7 degrees Sunday?

This week's cold snap is unlikely to set any record lows, but it is unusual for its persistence.

"The prolonged duration of the cold is not a normal thing," Keiser said. "It's a low percentage extreme event."

The forecast calls for a low of 7 degrees Sunday morning, a single-digit temperature that is uncommon in the metro area.

Birmingham's only other single-digit low since 2000 was 7 degrees on Jan. 24, 2003, according to records at the Alabama Office of the State Climatologist. In the 1990s, Birmingham had four single-digit lows: 4 and 6 degrees in February 1996, 9 degrees in January 1994, and 2 degrees in March 1993 when the great blizzard hit.

With the hard freezes this week, the National Weather Service urges people to check on anyone who might not have adequate heating, and make sure that any exposed water pipes are wrapped in insulation.

The Weather Service also suggests letting faucets drip a little to prevent freeze damage, and it advises people to know how to shut off water coming into the house.

"As a last resort you may have to shut off this main valve and drain all the pipes to keep them from freezing and bursting," it warns.

Staying warm

Less than an hour after it opened Tuesday night, about 35 men and women made their way into a warming station set up in Boutwell Auditorium, sipping coffee and juice and lying on cots.

Two people who have been living on Birmingham's streets for many years said the warming station saved them from possibly spending a cold night on the street.

"It would have been rough without this," said Richard Perry, 56. "I'd have been out there somewhere shaking like Don Knotts."

Homeless since 1998, 51-year-old Maurice Rhodes said he appreciated having a warm place to stay. "This is a blessing. It's a real nice thing they're doing," Rhodes said.

Warming stations will be open 6 p.m.-7 a.m. tonight through Monday morning at Boutwell, Moody United Methodist Church at 820 Church St. in Moody, First Baptist Pell City 2309 Second Ave. North in Pell City and Springville First United Methodist Church at 6471 U.S. 11 in Springville, said Chris Osborne, spokesman for the American Red Cross in Birmingham.

In Blount County, stations will be open the same hours and days at World Outreach Center at 2115 Second Ave. East in Oneonta, and starting Thursday at Locust Fork Baptist at 30580 Alabama 79 in Locust Fork, Osborne said.